Patents Examined by Stephan Willett
  • Patent number: 6243752
    Abstract: A terminal computer is used to send instructions to a host computer through a public network to open and close application programs and to transmit data between the application programs and the terminal computer through the public network. In order to open application programs, the terminal computer establishes an initial connection between the two computers and instructions are sent over this initial connection to open application programs. The host computer establishes an additional connection for each application program. In the terminal computer, a respective terminal emulator window is created for each additional connection. For each application program, data is transmitted over the respective additional connection using a character-based protocol. In the terminal computer, the data is converted from the character-based format to a bit-mapped graphical format and then displayed in the respective terminal emulator window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventor: John Butt
  • Patent number: 6243751
    Abstract: A method and apparatus allows clients to share ports on a server. The server can maintain more sessions than server ports. When a client sends a command directed to the server, a resource manager inserted between the clients and the server intercepts the command and directs the server to select the session associated with a client prior to or at the same time that the resource manager forwards the intercepted command to the server. Responses from the server are forwarded by the resource manager to the client that sent the command to which the response relates. The resource manager may be coupled to multiple clients, and one or more ports of one or more servers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Oracle Corporation
    Inventors: Debashish Chatterjee, John Bellemore, Amit Jasuja
  • Patent number: 6240456
    Abstract: An implementation of a computer network which provides the ability for a network client to submit data to a network server for performing a job at a logical endpoint associated with the network server. By way of example, the data may be a print job, the job a printing operation, and the logical endpoint a printer. The logical endpoint is assigned a uniform resource locator (URL) address which allows the data to be routed thereto and the computer network communication messages are formatted into the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). A further implementation of the computer network also provides the network client with the ability to perform system administration utilizing a standard Internet browser application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Chia-Chi Teng, Babak Jahromi
  • Patent number: 6237027
    Abstract: In an electronic mail system, including a computer device and an arrival notification method, a user can confirm an arrival of electronic mail regardless of where he is and a drop in operating time of a portable information terminal device can be prevented. The computer device has a first communication unit for receiving and transmitting the electronic mail from/to other computer devices and detecting the arrival of electronic mail, a second communication unit for communicating with the portable information terminal device through a predetermined communication circuit, a memory wherein identification information of the portable information terminal device is stored, and a communication controller for informing the arrival of electronic mail to the portable information terminal device based on the identification information when the arrival of electronic mail is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Nobuo Namekawa
  • Patent number: 6230198
    Abstract: Disclosed are a method, embodiable in computer readable program code, and a system for providing server-to-server event logging. A server-to-server event message is generated including 1) an event identifier, 2) any text insert pertinent to the event message, and 3) a source trail indicating the origin and history of the event, the source trail comprising an identifier of any server forwarding the event, each identifier separated by a special character, so that the origin and any subsequently transmitting servers may be known. Further, the source trail of a received server-to-server event message is parsed to determine each identifier in the source trail, and the event message transmitted to a receiving server only if the receiving server identifier is absent from the parsed source trail, thus preventing any loops which might cause the event to be repeated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Colin Scott Dawson, Michael Allen Kaczmarski, Bonnie Jean Vining, Donald Paul Warren, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6216172
    Abstract: For automatic CAN address allocation each bus subscriber still to be allocated an address, generates a random value for a provisional address on system power up. On receiving a request to commence address allocation each bus subscriber writes a telegram claiming the provisional address into the CAN send buffer. If a bus subscriber receives a telegram claiming an address which agrees with its own provisional address, a new random value is generated for a provisional address and a telegram claiming this provisional address is written into the CAN send buffer. If the telegram claiming the provisional address is sent before a telegram claiming the same provisional address is received, the provisional address is deposited in the writeable non-volatile memory as the final address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co.
    Inventors: Robert Kölblin, Wolfgang Eiche
  • Patent number: 6212610
    Abstract: The present invention relates generally to efficient message passing support and memory access protections in scalable shared memory multiprocessing computer systems. In a multiprocessor system, processors need to communicate with one another to coordinate their work. Prior art multiprocessors only permit message passing or unprotected direct memory access. The present invention allows direct memory access with protection. The mechanism of the present invention permits processors to directly access each other's memory while retaining protection against faulty software or hardware. Security in the face of malicious intent of the communicating software is not maintained in the preferred embodiment, although a variation of the mechanism provides additional protection against malicious software albeit at the expense of slightly more complex hardware.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Wolf-Dietrich Weber, Jaspal Kohli
  • Patent number: 6209064
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to a system and method for a message protocol to extend cache coherence management of scalable shared memory multiprocessing computer systems having a plurality of processors connected to an interconnection over which the plurality of processors communicate with each other. Each processor communicates with other interconnection processors by sending and receiving messages on the interconnection by means of a messaging protocol which can be used for shared-memory computer systems, shared nothing computer systems, and hybrid computer systems in which some processors are sharing memory while others are not. With this invention a processor node is able to tell whether an incoming message is from within the same coherence group (in which case it is completely unprotected) or whether it is from outside the coherence group (in which case the shared-nothing protections apply).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2001
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Wolf-Dietrich Weber
  • Patent number: 6202090
    Abstract: A router stores core file into a local flash memory after detecting a shutdown event. In order to increase the amount of core file data that can be stored, the core file is first compressed before being downloaded into the local flash memory. Because the flash memory is local, the network device is not required to dump the core file over an external network to an external network server. Thus, network interface elements in the network device do not have to be functional in order for the core dump to be successful. During the shutdown routine, interrupts are disabled for all processing elements that are not needed to perform the core download. The core dump is therefore faster and more reliable and allows more effective system debugging than present core download procedures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2001
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Giovanni Di Simone
  • Patent number: 6202094
    Abstract: In a point-to-point multilink bundle coupling two peers over a network, a simultaneous addition of a plurality of links may be performed using Bandwidth Allocation Protocol and Bandwidth Allocation Control Protocol. When one peer desires to add more links to the multilink bundle, a request is sent to the other peer requesting the addition of the links and means for establishing the links, such as telephone numbers. In response, the second peer will respond with a message indicating the number of links the second peer is capable of adding along with the associated means for establishing these links.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Donald Bruce Grosser, Jr., Cloyd Stanley McIlvaine
  • Patent number: 6182115
    Abstract: An application is enabled to allow any one of a variety of locking behaviors including different locking behaviors for different elements of shared text. For example, whereas one string may be associated with an implicit lock (granted when the user gives that string focus), another string may have an explicit lock (granted when the user takes some particular action such as clicking on a “lock” button), while yet another string may have a deferred lock (granted only when the user attempts to update the string). A similar range of possibilities is available for string update events and for unlocking the string.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: Gennaro A. Cuomo, Carmine Fred Greco, Michael L. Fraenkel, Binh Q. Nguyen, Sandeep K. Singhal
  • Patent number: 6178458
    Abstract: Communication between a personal computer and an electronic organizer is conducted through the audio input port and the audio output port of the personal computer. The communication interface device of this invention comprises: an output line to be connected with an electronic organizer and the audio input port of the personal computer; an input line to be connected with an electronic organizer and the audio output port of the personal computer; a voltage regulator to regulate voltages of said output line and said input line; and a voltage detector to detect voltage of the audio output port of the personal computer and the input port of the personal computer. The interface device generates control signals to the personal computer and the electronic organizer to enable the communication therebetween when both are ready to communicate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2001
    Assignee: Tenx Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Jack Y. Y. Wang
  • Patent number: 6170017
    Abstract: In a client-server environment having a server group including one or more participating servers and one or more controller servers, where each participating server can communicate with at least one controller server, a method for coordinating actions among the servers in the server group comprising the steps of: (1) communicating between a client and at least one of the servers in the server group using a protocol that has limited or no defined procedures for passing state information between the client and the servers; (2) transmitting a request for an action from the client to one of the servers; and (3) communicating among a plurality of servers with at least one controller server coordinating actions of at least some of the servers in response to the request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel Manuel Dias, Arun Kwangil Iyengar
  • Patent number: 6141694
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining and verifying user data are provided. One or more facts about the user of a client system such as an internet terminal are maintained in a set of information fields, each information field is associated with a status field for indicating a level of certainty regarding the accuracy of the information contained in the corresponding information field. It is determined whether or not a source of data exists that is more reliable than the currently stored information. If a more reliable source of data is determined to exist, then information is retrieved from the more reliable source of data and the current information is replaced with the retrieved information. According to another aspect of the present invention the accuracy of facts gathered about a user of a client system are evaluated by monitoring online activity of the user. For example, information transmitted between a server system and the client system may be observed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2000
    Assignee: WEBTV Networks, Inc.
    Inventor: Valerie A. Gardner
  • Patent number: 6073176
    Abstract: A stack group bidding protocol (SGBP) establishes systems as members of a stack group connected together through one or more networks. When an event, such as establishment of a point-to-point link, occurs on one of the systems, a bid request is sent to each stack group member. Each stack group member then bids for the event. The bid is based on dynamic bid weighting criteria that varies depending on the computation capacity of the member at the time the bid request is initiated. A multichassis multilink PPP (MLP) protocol utilizes the SGBP to conduct multilink PPP sessions for links that either originate or terminate on different physical systems. A L2F forwarding protocol is used in combination with multichassis MLP to forward the links from one system to another system and offers location transparency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ashwin Baindur, Andrew G. Harvey, Pokman Perry Leung, Andrew J. Valencia, Shoou Jiah Yiu
  • Patent number: 6067558
    Abstract: A Web-based peripheral management solution based upon JAVA applets and a top-level user interface (UI) generator located on a content server includes HTTP daemons (i.e. Web servers) which run on both a peripheral device interface and a host machine content server. Web browser accesses to the peripheral device HTTP daemon for peripheral or other content are redirected by the peripheral device HTTP daemon to a content server where the actual HTML or JAVA applet files are stored. The peripheral device interface also generates HTML stub files to aid in redirecting accesses to JAVA applets on the content server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2000
    Inventors: James Gordon Wendt, James Eugene Clough, John David Beninga
  • Patent number: 6047332
    Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for rendering devices on a cluster globally visible, wherein the cluster includes a plurality of nodes on which the devices are attached. The system establishes for each of the devices in the cluster at least one globally unique identifier enabling global access to the device. The system includes a device registrar that creates the identifiers and a global file system. The identifiers include a globally unique logical name by which users of the cluster identify the device and a globally unique physical name by which the global file system identifies the device. The registrar creates a one-to-one mapping between the logical name and the physical name for each of the devices. The system also includes a device information (dev.sub.-- info) data structure maintained by the device registrar that represents physical associations of the devices within the cluster. Each association corresponds to the physical name of a device file maintained by the global file system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2000
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Srinivasan Viswanathan, Siamak Nazari, Anil Swaroop, Yousef Khalidi
  • Patent number: 6009470
    Abstract: An encoded multimedia terminal having a low cost decompression circuit together with a low cost interconnect circuit coupled to a powerful server. The terminal can accept user input via a mouse, keyboard, remote control, or handset. In one embodiment, the server has ports which provide real-time audio and video encoding of source material based on user edits and the original source. An encoded bitstream is then sent to the encoded multimedia terminal for decoding. Broadly speaking, the present invention contemplates an encoded multimedia terminal comprising a microcontroller, a network interface, a multimedia bitstream decoder, and a display controller. The microcontroller receives input from a user-input device and responsively determines a user input signal. The network interface is coupled to the microcontroller to receive the user input signal and is configured to communicate the user input signal to a multitasking server which is executing a software application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1999
    Assignee: LSI Logic Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel Watkins
  • Patent number: 5983277
    Abstract: A work group computing system for facilitating programmable logic device design among multiple engineers has a global work space including design project source files, a compilation basis, a compilation report text file, a binary assignments database and a user-readable assignments text file. Any number of local work spaces contain downloaded versions of any of the project source files, local compilation processing results for that user and a local assignment database containing records of downloaded assignments. Downloaded project source files or assignments are assigned states by the user such as default, locked, owned-write, owned-read only to facilitate coordination amongst the user engineers. The system controls editing of files so that two engineers may not inadvertently edit the same global source file at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Altera Corporation
    Inventors: Francis B. Heile, Brent A. Fairbanks